Minecraft Developer Teams Up With United Nations

The United Nations has figured out a use for Mojang's open-world building game Minecraft. Mojang and the UN will be teaming up to use the game in a new urban renewal program called "Block By Block."

"'Block by Block' aims to involve youth in the planning process in urban areas by giving them the opportunity to show planners and decision makers how they would like to see their cities in the future," explains Mojang. "Minecraft has turned out to be the perfect tool to facilitate this process."

Mojang is already running a similar project in Sweden. Mina Kvarter (My Blocks) asks citizens to log into Minecraft servers and modify virtual representations of their neighborhoods. The idea is that people can have a say in what a neigborhood looks like even if they don't have formal training in architecture or urban planning.

Over the next three years, Mojang and the United Nations will work together to renovate 300 public spaces throughout the world. The first "Block By Block" pilot project in Kiberia, Nairobi is being planned now. You can see a real-world picture of the area as well as its Minecraft representation below.